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Driver's News: 10/29/01

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October 28, 2001

TOKYO CONCEPTS BOWAs the crowds
plied Makuhari Messe, the world's automakers unveiled concepts and production
vehicles at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show yesterday. Get the word (and pictures) of
all the new sheetmetal parading around the Tokyo show
in TCC's complete show coverage:2001 Tokyo Motor
Show Index by TCC Team (10/22/2001)

FORD
TURNS OFF IGNITION SUITIn yet
another major settlement of a product-related class-action lawsuit, Ford has
agreed to replace ignitions in some 22 million Ford, Mercury and Lincoln
vehicles with less than 100,000 miles. The class action, fought in California,
could end up costing Ford $2.5 billion in replacement costs, according to the
class-action plaintiff lawyers. "This settlement is the product of literally
years of negotiation, and it provides real remedies for millions of consumers
and businesses who have owned the affected vehicles all over the United States,"
Reuters quotes plaintiff lawyer Jeff Fazio. The affected vehicles experienced
stalling problems, and affected vehicles equipped with V-6
engines.Ford Sets New
Quality Goals by Michael Strong
(10/15/2001)

FORD NIXES STOP-START EXPLORERDeciding that the technology better suited small
cars, Ford has abandoned a stop-start system for its Explorer sport-ute, the Wall Street Journal reported on
Wednesday. The technology, found in the U.S. on the hybrid Honda Insight, for
example, turns off a car’s engine when it is stopped for a certain period of
time, and restarts it when a gear is selected or the accelerator is pressed.
Ford had planned on adapting such a system to the Explorer to boost its
fuel-economy ratings. Ford has said that it will increase the fuel efficiency of
its sport-utility vehicles by 25 percent by the year 2005.Ford
Plots Safer, Greener SUVs by Joseph Szczesny
(11/13/2000)

BIG THREE TO FIGHT COUNTERFEIT
PARTSGM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler will work together to
stop the production of counterfeit replacement parts, which they say are unsafe
and which cost the companies $12 billion a year, they announced on Friday. The
Big Three also say the overseas counterfeit production, done mostly in China,
costs them and their suppliers some 210,000 jobs. The parts are becoming more
sophisticated — including pieces for safety systems, like replacement brake pads
— and could cause injury or death since they’re not tested to rigorous
standards. Reuters quotes a GM spokesman who estimates three out of five ACDelco
parts sold in the Middle East are counterfeit.

TELEMATICS COME TO CHRYSLERThe last of the Big Three to announce such a
system, Chrysler says it will offer a wireless voice-activated telephone for
some of its vehicles. The system uses the new Bluetooth wireless technology to
allow up to five Bluetooth-enabled phones to be used in the vehicle. Chrysler’s
system will not at outset have the frills of GM’s OnStar, which couples its
in-car cell service with operator-based information on directions, hotel
reservations and such. Chrysler’s system also will not have a monthly premium
attached; the company will charge a flat rate for hardware installed in the
vehicle, including a rearview mirror mounted microphone.Telematics
Gathering Speed by TCC Team
(5/20/2001)

DO YOU HAVE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE?More than eight out of ten (81 percent) vehicle
owners of one, two, and three-year-old vehicles have manufacturer-sponsored
roadside coverage on their vehicle. However, only 56 percent of
customers are aware they have this coverage through the manufacturer. Awareness
of these programs declines over time. Owners in the first year of ownership
indicate they have roadside assistance 64 percent of the time. In the second
year, this falls to 57 percent awareness. By the time the third year rolls
around, only 43 percent of owners are aware of their manufacturer-sponsored
roadside assistance program.Source:
J.D. Power and Associates 2001
Emergency Roadside Assistance Study (ERA)